Paris police have arrested a man who used a parachute to jump off the
city’s emblematic Eiffel Tower early on Thursday morning. Citing local
police sources, CNN reported that he arrived at around 5:00 a.m. and
climbed one of the world-famous landmark’s four pillars in order to
parachute off the top of the tower.
SETE (Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel), the company that
manages and operates the iconic monument, told reporters that security
personnel detected the perpetrator—whose name has not been released—in
“less than a minute” upon his having entered the site.
The historic structure’s intervention brigade attempted to deter the
delinquent, but were unable to intercept him before he reached the top,
and he was able to leap off of the 300-metre attraction, landing on the
roof of a nearby sports center building before the police took him into
custody.
The Local reported that the landmark latticework edifice was not
damaged in any way and the man was uninjured after his unauthorised
base-jumping stunt. The tower’s opening to visitors was slightly delayed
Thursday morning, due to the incident.
SETE has lodged a complaint against the offender in which it
condemned, “this type of irresponsible action, which endangers those
working on or under the structure". Reportedly, criminal charges are
being brought against the unnamed miscreant for trespassing and
"endangering the lives of others".
This is just the latest in a string of recent security breaches that
have taken place at the French capital’s top tourist attraction. While
making their pre-opening rounds on Monday morning, security staff
discovered a pair of drunken American tourists, who had spent the
previous night in the tower.